Grimmwar  (Part 2)
by Darkpenn
Summary: The last roll of the dice. The final sacrifice. To the death, my love.


**Grimmwar (Part 2)**

 _The last roll of the dice. The final sacrifice. To the death, my love._

 _[Author's note: This story follows the story_ Grimmwar (Part 1). _It concludes the Darkpenn stories which precede Volume 5 of series actual; that is, the story collections_ redwhiteblackyellow, Ice Queen in Love, _and_ The Power Within _; and stories such as_ Discovery _.]_

"Oh no!" cried Blake Belladonna. "My forces have been completely annihilated and I face a horrible death!"

"Hahaha!" said Yang. "You should have known better than to mess with the likes of my magical battalion! I'm going to win! After years of playing this stupid fucking game, I'm finally going to win one! Victory is mine!"

"Don't think so, sis," said Ruby. She laid down a series of cards. "Your magical battalion falls down a huge hole, courtesy of my trap card, and you personally get eaten by the world's largest troll. And as for you, Blakey, it's burning oil fricassee."

"Oh well," said Blake. "Could have been worse."

Yang put her head on the table and sobbed.

"Is this a metaphor for our current situation?" said Yatsuhashi, watching from the sidelines.

"I certainly hope not," said Hei, next to him. "But it is worrying that the fate of all of Remnant is in the hands of people who should probably not be trusted with any object sharper than a rubber ball."

They were in the Senior Briefing Room of the battleship _Schnee,_ a room meant more for serious military deliberations than silly board games. The battleship _Scarlatina_ was not far away, and the cruiser _Qrow_ was between them. The three ships had been travelling across the ocean for several days, making a large circle that would bring them to the southern side of Menagerie. Each ship was equipped with the new-gen fuel-air missiles as well as the latest rapid-fire cannons.

The communicator on Yang's shoulder buzzed. "Sir, the surveillance ship has come aboard, and is in the shuttle landing bay," said the voice of a tech. "The pilot sends his compliments and has suggested that you might like to inspect the ship."

"Very well, inform him we are on our way," said Yang into the communicator, all business now. "Get the paint job started as well."

Yang, Blake, Ruby and Yatsuhashi started for the shuttle bay. "I wonder why the General didn't tell us who this hot-shot pilot is," said Blake.

The bay doors opened and revealed the modified airship. Its name was painted on the side. _Sustrai_.

"Oh ... dear," said Ruby.

The pilot stepped out from behind the craft.

Mercury Black.

Immediately, Yatsuhashi's sword was in his hand. There was the ominous sound of Yang cocking her gauntlets.

"Not this prick," said Blake.

"Hey, is that any way to greet the person who is a pivotal part of your operation?" said Mercury.

"Actually, we only need your ship," said Yatsuhashi.

"Can I shoot him?" said Yang. "Really, it would be no trouble."

"Wait, I have something you should read," said Mercury. "From the General." He handed a note to Ruby.

She read: _If_ _Commander_ _Xiao Long has not shot him yet, you will find Mr Black to be a useful asset. I know he has been on the other side in your past conflicts but in the course of the Grimmwar he has undertaken a number of important surveillance missions. In fact, he is the reason that we know as much about the Grimm on Menagerie as we do. But do not trust him an inch. And he always demands payment._

"Hmm," said Ruby, handing the note to Yatsuhashi. "Judging from the name of your ship, I assume that Emerald is no longer with us."

Mercury nodded. "But when she went down she took three Golems with her," he said.

Yang gave a low whistle. "Not bad, for a lying cheating bitch," she said.

"Not too bad at all," said Blake.

"So ... we are on the same side, then," said Ruby.

"You're telling me that I can't shoot him, eh?" said Yang. "By which I mean, shoot him again."

"Aha!" said Mercury. "So you admit that you shot me!"

"It was in a mechanical leg! It wouldn't have even hurt!"

"It was the intention that hurt!"

The two of them stared at each other. Then one of them smiled. Then the other. Then they both started to laugh. One of them clapped the other on the back.

"I am surrounded by foolish children," muttered Blake.

"Indeed," muttered Yatsuhashi.

A pair of techs began to paint the symbol – now known widely as the ghost-glyph – on the _Sustrai._ Ruby explained the purpose to Mercury, noting that the symbols had already been painted on the Remnant ships, and that the landing party would also have them on their wrists.

"We're not putting a huge amount of faith in them," said Ruby. "But it might buy us some extra time, and that might be important."

The _Sustrai_ could take about a dozen people. Ruby explained to Mercury that the plan was to land a team of Hunters, plus Ilia, as close to the tunnel entrance as possible. Coco would provide fire support, if needed. Once the team was down, Mercury and Coco would return to the _Schnee_ – and Mercury could collect the promised paycheck.

"Sounds easy, when you say it fast like that," said Mercury. "You know, on my way here I got some long-range images of the southern side of Menagerie, I'll show them to you. It's not as bad as the northern side – it looks like Abbey is getting ready for a major push there – but they're still as thick as grass. And Kondors everywhere. Damn, those things make Gryphons look like kittens."

"Hey!" said Blake. "Some of us have cat ears, you know!"

"Uh, sorry," said Mercury. "Er, I guess."

Yatsuhashi took out his pocket-watch and showed it to Ruby. She nodded. "I suggest that everyone gets some rest," she said. "And then final equipment checks and a last run-through of the plan. Blake, you should probably get back to the _Scarlatina_. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"The longest," said Yang.

* * *

 **A few hours later**

Ruby and Yatsuhashi were lying in bed, in their cabin on the _Schnee_.

"Damn, Yatsu, you make me feel good," said Ruby. She began to pull her clothes back on.

Yatsuhashi gave one of his rare smiles. Tenderly, he touched one of the scars on his wife's back.

"Tell me something," said Ruby. "Do you ... have any regrets?"

Yatsuhashi was quiet for a while. "I was very sorry about the loss of ... the baby," he said. "I was sorry that we did not have a child before the beginning of the war. I have always regretted the loss of Velvet, and of Weiss. I think of them often, and of how they loved each other. And I am sorry that now, here, at the end of our path, I have still not found my Semblance. But if you are asking me if I have ever regretted being in love with you, then the answer is no. I have never regretted it. Not for a moment.

"Although now I think of it there is something that I wish would have been different. I have always wished that you were taller. Or I shorter. Or both."

Ruby picked up a pillow and hit him with it. Then they laughed, and turned out the light, and settled down with their arms around each other.

"I think I know what your Semblance is," said Ruby. "That you would have made a great father. Maybe that would have been the most powerful Semblance of all."

He considered. "Perhaps," he said. "Perhaps."

* * *

 **Morning of the last day**

Ruby, Yatsuhashi, Ilia and the Hunter team had transferred, using Mercury's airship, to the _Qrow_. Now she stood on the bridge of the ship, with its captain, Ren Lie. The images of Yang and Blake were on the communications screen. The two battleships had moved away from the cruiser, into their positions south-west and south-east of Menagerie.

"I suppose that at this point there is nothing left to say," said Ruby.

"Only that ... it's been fun," said Yang. "From beginning to end."

"Yes," said Blake. "A real slice."

The face of Blake's second-in-command, Nora Valkyrie, came onto the screen. "A message has been received from Captain Arc on the _Ozpin_ ," she said. "They are in position. And so are we." Then she saw Ren on her screen. "Hi sweetie!" she said, waving.

Ren rolled his eyes. "Er, hello, Major Valkyrie," he said. He leaned towards the screen and whispered: "I asked you not to call me that when there are other officers around."

"Hello, darling husband of mine!" she said, waving again.

Ren shook his head, and sighed.

"It's alright, it's just Nora being Nora," said Ruby, patting him on the shoulder. She looked again at Blake.

Blake stared at her for a long moment. Then she said: "This is the _Scarlatina_ , signing off." The screen went dark.

Ruby turned to Yang's screen. "When we get back, sis," Yang said, "you can buy me a drink at Edward's place. And then I'll buy you one."

Ruby smiled. "Sure, you're on," she said. The screen went dark.

She crossed to the long-range radar console. The screen showed the _Ozpin_ heading towards the northern side of Menagerie, as if it was mounting an attack. It fired a volley of missiles at the ranks of flying Grimm creatures heading towards it, and then began to turn away. It was only moving at half-speed. The aim was to keep the Grimm on the northern side focused on it, luring them away from the real fight. It was working – but now Kondors and Nevermores were coming at it from all directions.

"Good luck, Jaune," whispered Ruby, knowing how slim his chances of survival were. She looked again at the radar. The _Schnee_ and the _Scarlatina_ were starting to move closer to the island. Flying Grimm were starting to take off, heading for them. In a few minutes, most of the flying Grimm that had been on the southern side of the island had departed.

"Looks like it's working, so far at least," said Ruby. "So let's go."

She and Yatsuhashi went to the landing bay, and boarded the _Sustrai._ Aside from Mercury and Ilia, there was a team of Hunters: Arslan Altan, Reese Chloris, Flynt Coal, Octavia Ember, Dove Bronzewing, Ciel Soleil, and Coco and Cerise Adel. They all stood when Ruby and Yatsuhashi entered.

She looked around at them. "You all know our plan, you all know our chances," she said. "All I can say now is that it will be my honour to fight with you today, as it has been my honour on other days."

"The honour," said Octavia, "will be and always has been ours."

Ilia, sitting in the co-pilot seat next to Mercury, was listening. "Maybe ... " she murmured, "maybe I was wrong about these guys. Maybe they've got some heart in them after all."

"Yep," said Mercury, as he threw switches to start the engines. "And some balls too. Especially ... her. And the big guy is no slouch, either." The bay doors opened. Mercury activated the radio to Ren on the bridge. "We're ready for the express elevator to Hell, going down," he said. "Try and keep them off us, if you can."

"Whatever we can do, we'll do," said Ren.

The _Qrow_ was at full speed now, heading towards the beach. It began to fire at the Grimm there.

The _Sustrai_ shot out of the bay.

"Damn, the General wasn't kidding when he said it was fast," muttered Ruby, as the g-forces pressed her into her seat. She felt Yatsu take her hand.

The _Qrow_ 's guns were raking the beach. But some Gryphons had not taken the bait of the two battleships. They took off and headed for the cruiser.

Mercury weaved a path between them. It looked as if the ghost-glyph was having some effect. Or maybe the Gryphons were more interested in the larger ship. For whatever reason, the _Sustrai_ passed safely over the beach, over the wrecked village and the smashed jetties.

"That way," said Ilia, pointing. "There's a little valley past that clump of trees. Go through the valley and the entrance of the tunnel is in the next mountain, behind a pile of rocks."

"How hard can it be?" said Mercury, swerving to avoid a flight of small Nevermores that had appeared.

Coco's voice came over the intercom: "Three Gryphons coming up on the starboard side. I'm going to open the side door and put them down."

"Uh, yeah, okay, do that," said Mercury, as a creature whacked into the windscreen and bounced off.

In the hold, Coco walked to the door as it swung open. Cerise, next to her, carried a box of extra bullets. "Somehow," said Coco, "I had always thought that I would die in high heels. Oh well." She began to fire, cutting into the Gryphons. First one, then the second, went down. But Coco got the third one only when it was close. The carcass slammed into the airship before it disintegrated.

"We've taken damage!" said Mercury over the intercom. "We're almost there but I'm not going to be able to get down! You guys will have to jump!"

"Man, that's a surprise," said Flynt, unsurprised. They gathered at the doorway, and Ilia joined them. She pointed at the entrance of the tunnel.

They looked down. There were Grimm below them: Beowolfs, Ursas, Golems.

"I'll clear us a path," said Reese. She jumped onto her hoverboard and streaked down, smashing through the Grimm. She took a heavy machine gun from her back and fired. In a few moments, there was a space – a small space – open.

"Damn, I hope that woman likes women," said Ilia, watching Reese.

"You're in luck," said Arslan.

They jumped, going down in a stream.

Ruby and Yatsushita were at the end. She stepped forward. "No," said Yatsu. "Remember what the doctor said." He picked her up and jumped. He landed with a thump, Ruby safe in his arms, as Mercury's airship pulled away. Ruby took Ilia's whip from the holster on her back and handed it to her.

The group was firing in all directions, and Grimm were going down. Some of the Grimm seemed confused by the ghost-glyphs but others were not. Golems seemed to be unaffected. They fired dagger-like crystals from their hands, forcing the Hunters to dodge and block. Then Arslan whipped her cord, and took out several at once. Flynt used his Semblance, and there was a chorus of sonic blasts. Suddenly, the Hunters had a few seconds of respite.

"Well, that wasn't so hard," said Dove. He wiped blood from a wound on his shoulder.

"Let's get to the tunnel," said Ruby.

But then the ground began to shake beneath them.

From the tunnel entrance burst an army of Grimm. Coming straight for the Hunters.

"O – kay," said Reese.

* * *

 **On the** ** _Scarlatina_**

The guns were firing as fast as they could, knocking down one Grimm creature after another. The battleship had taken damage, and one of its engines was ablaze, leaking Dust.

"Commander, shall I fire the fuel-air missiles?" said a tech to Blake.

"No, wait until it gets dangerous," said Blake calmly.

"Heh," said Nora. "A hundred Kondors, even more Nevermores, not dangerous at all."

"Commander," said the tech at the radar console. "A few of them are breaking away. Heading back to the island, I think."

"Damn," said Blake. "Pursue those ones, target them with the heavy guns. We have to keep them focused on us."

But more Kondors were breaking away and, despite the fire from the battleship, were heading for Menagerie.

"Time for me to do my thing," muttered Blake, as she put a radio plug into her ear. "Major Valkyrie – Nora – the ship is yours."

Blake headed for the hatch that took her to an open platform at the top of the ship. She pulled out Gambol Shroud. The Maiden version.

As a Nevermore swept past, she threw. She swung up onto its back, and drew her sword. The blade, radiant with Maiden energy, sliced into the creature's back. As it began to disintegrate, Blake threw the ribbon again, into a Kondor. She let the creature carry her into a pack of Grimm, and then detached and leaped onto the back of one. The ribbon whipped around the neck of another Kondor, and snapped taut, decapitating it. She morphed her weapon into a gun and fired a stream of supercharged bullets into a Kondor.

Now the creatures that had been heading towards Menagerie turned towards her. "That's right," she said aloud. "Come to momma."

* * *

 **On the** ** _Schnee_**

Yang was standing on the outside of the battleship, firing blasts of energy from her gauntlets. One after the other, stopping only for a second to reload when she had to. The _Schnee_ 's guns were firing as well, shells smashing into the Grimm.

A Nevermore managed to get through the barrage and went for Yang, talons extended. But Yang, instead of avoiding the claws, grabbed them. She pivoted, swung, and let go, sending the creature crashing into another one.

"Hey, you ain't the first bird that I've fought!" she shouted after it as it fell. She suddenly remembered Team RWBY's first encounter with a Nevermore. That had been ... a thing. A real thing.

But now she was a Maiden.

She looked towards Menagerie. The sky was thick with Grimm, coming straight at the _Schnee_.

"Well," she said, cocking her gauntlets again. "Looks like the diversion part of Ruby's plan worked."

* * *

 **On Menagerie, near the tunnel entrance**

Flynt loosed another sonic blast, and Octavia released a torrent of fire. It slowed the charge of black creatures down but did not stop it.

Yatsuhashi picked up Ruby and swung her behind him to protect her. He, with Dove next to him, fired a fusillade of rifle bullets into the throng. _It will not be enough_ , he thought suddenly.

There was a sound from above. The _Sustrai_ came sweeping in again, coming in low, its forward guns firing. Coco, standing in the hold, was sending volleys of heavy-duty bullets into the Grimm.

"Huh," said Ilia. "Guess he decided to do something he wouldn't get paid for."

But the Golems were firing rock crystals at the _Sustrai_ now. It wobbled in the air, and then one of its engines exploded, sending it into a spin. It smashed into the ground, rolling, between the Hunters and the Grimm.

One of its doors flew open. The barrel of Coco's gun emerged. It began to fire, the bullets hacking into the Grimm.

But it was not Coco holding it. It was Cerise.

"Huh," said Ruby. "I guess that talent runs in the family."

At such close range, the gun was shredding the Grimm. The other Hunters added their fire.

Suddenly, the wave of Grimm was gone, reduced to ashes. But more were coming.

The Hunters ran to Cerise. She was seriously hurt, bleeding from several injuries. Inside the airship, both Mercury and Coco were dead.

Cerise fell to the ground. She looked up at Yatsuhashi. "Uncle, I ... I hope I did my part," she said.

"You did," he said. "You did."

She smiled. Then she was gone. Gently, Yatsuhashi closed her eyes.

"They bought us some time," said Ruby. "We should use it. And let's hope that that was all the Grimm that were in the tunnel."

They ran inside. It was dark, filthy, and smelled indescribably foul. But at least there were no more Grimm to be seen.

"Anybody think to bring a candle?" said Reese.

"As a matter of fact, yes," said Ciel, slinging her massive military-style shotgun over her shoulder. She held up her hands, and began to radiate a soft golden glow. "I'll keep it down, just give us enough to not fall over anything," she said.

She led the way. Ilia brought up the rear, using the light from her whip to check that no Grimm were following.

They moved on, as quickly as they could.

* * *

 **On the** ** _Schnee_**

Hei was directing the guns of the battleship against the waves of flying creatures but he could not resist the occasional glance at Yang, standing at the bow of the ship. She was reloading every few seconds.

"Pissing metal," he said softly. "Metal and fire."

But the _Schnee_ was taking damage, as Kondors, Nevermores, and Gryphons hacked at it. The engines were failing; the ship was starting to lose height, and it was on fire in several places. The _Schnee_ was dying.

Their course had taken them over Menagerie now; it meant that more Grimm could see them, and attack them. Well, mused Hei, that was the point.

There was already a fight taking place on the lower decks; Golems, riding on Kondors, had boarded the ship. No doubt, there would be more. Hei lifted his bazooka/club, checking the ammunition. He activated the radio link with Yang.

"Sorry to disturb you when you're obviously having such a good time, petal," he said. "But we're going down fast."

"Tell the crew to abandon ship," said Yang, over the sound of her shots. "And say, who are you calling 'petal'?"

"Yeah, you know, I've suggested that. The general response was 'no way'. Guess these guys are as stubborn as you are. Can't say I'm not proud of them, though. And as for the 'petal' thing, well, that would be the woman I love. She's a delicate little flower, really."

"Huh," said Yang. "Just a second, did you just say you loved me?"

"Uh, it slipped out."

"Moron."

"Witch."

"Lummox."

"Lunkhead."

"I ... love you too, Hei. Now that that's out of the way, here's what we're going to do. Shut down the main guns, let the Kondors come in, let the Golems get on board. Then blow the missiles. All of them. At once."

"Huh," said Hei, as he pushed buttons on the command console. "Blaze of glory, eh?"

"Got a better idea?"

"How about I walk out to where you are and smooch you?"

"That would be delightful, but it's a bit crowded out here. Thanks for the thought, though. Oh, by the way, I'm sorry I bruised your balls the first time we met."

"That's alright, you made up for it later. Okay, the codes are set. Awaiting your order, Commander."

Yang looked around. There were dozens of Grimm closing in. She reached into her pack for another belt of Maiden-enhanced bullets.

Empty.

"Fuck it," she said. "Do it, Hei."

* * *

 **Near the** ** _Scarlatina_**

Blake swung from one creature to another, killing as she went. She glanced back, and saw several Kondors attacking the _Scarlatina_. But so far it was holding them off. Most of the flying Grimm were concentrating on her.

She activated the radio link. "Nora," she said. "Home in on my signal. On my command, fire all the missiles to this point. They will go off together."

"Wh – what!?" said Nora.

"You heard," said Blake.

"But you ... you won't be able to take it – "

"That is not important," said Blake. "All that matters is keeping these things off Ruby. Until she can get her job done."

"But ... but ... very well, I am inputting the targeting information now."

Blake continued to swing from Kondor to Nevermore, fighting in mid-air. But she had been wounded several times. She could feel her blood, her life, flowing from her.

"Thank you for your friendship, Nora," she said. "And now ... _fire!_ "

The missiles streaked away from the ship. Blake saw them coming. She smiled.

* * *

 **In the tunnel**

"What ... what's that noise?" said Dove. "That ... buzzing."

"Oh no," said Arslan. "Lancers. Well, they do like to nest in rocks."

But the Lancers were not attacking. They seemed to be confused by the ghost-glyphs. Some of them buzzed around the Hunters, but others were merely staying in their nests in the tunnel walls.

"Fortunately, they are not too bright, without their queen," said Arslan, holding her marked wrist up towards the bugs.

They could see light at the end. But the tunnel itself was becoming wider, and higher. "I don't remember it being like this," said Ilia. "When I came through it was narrow all the way. What could have made it wider?"

"Uh, I think it was that," said Reese. She pointed upwards. There was a Lancer queen in a lattice of webs, in the ceiling. And it was unaffected by the ghost-glyphs. The Lancers on the walls began to take off, coming for the Hunters. Dove converted his sword into a gun and fired at the queen, knowing it would draw the Lancers to him. It worked: the pack attacked him. He swung at them, but there were too many.

"Run!" he shouted to the others.

Ruby saw Flynt and Octavia exchange glances. "This calls for a special tune, I think," said Flynt.

"Something ... hot," said Octavia.

They gave it everything they had. Sonic waves and gusts of fire filled the tunnel behind the Hunters, slamming into the Lancer queen.

The whole tunnel began to come down. But the Hunters still had fifty metres to go before the end. Rocks were already starting to fall.

Ciel lifted her arms. A pressure wave spread upwards from her, holding the shaking ceiling in place.

"Go past!" she shouted. "I can't hold this for long!"

Ruby, Yatsuhashi, Ilia, Arslan, and Reese scrambled through the opening as the tunnel collapsed behind them, burying Ciel, Flynt, Octavia and Dove.

From the south-west, there was the sound of a massive explosion. From the south-east, another.

They looked at each other. They knew what had happened.

Ruby sagged to her knees. Every part of her body was in agony. She felt as if she could hardly breathe. She remembered what the doctor had said about her damaged body collapsing in on itself if strained.

"We have to go," said Arslan.

"We do," said Yatsuhashi. He picked Ruby up.

They were on a patch of open ground. But a pack of Beowolfs and Ursas was heading towards them, streaming over a hill.

"These are mine," said Reese. Then she was on her hoverboard, zooming, gun drawn. But there were many of them.

"No way I'm letting that girl have all the fun," said Ilia, checking the Dust chambers on her whip. "Damn, I might even get a smooch out of it. Been a while, you know." She looked at the others. "Thank you," she said. "For the chance to go down fighting." Then she ran off, after Reese.

Arslan was looking around. "No Kondors or Nevermores or Gryphons," she said. "Looks like your friends took care of them. So you might have a chance."

"You mean, we might," said Ruby.

"No, I mean you," said Arslan. She pointed to a pack of Golems charging down a valley. "Go," she said. "I'll hold them here."

Ruby, still in her husband's arms, nodded. Yatsuhashi began to run, between the crowd of Grimm being fought by Reese and Ilia, and the Golems going for Arslan.

Arslan planted her feet firmly on the ground. She whispered a spell. Her hands became balls of fire. "Come on, you fuckers," she said. "Let's see what you're made of."

And then they were on her.

Yatsuhashi was running fast over the broken, blasted ground. They could see the concentration of Grimm where Abbey was, now.

And then they ran into a pack of Beowolfs. A large pack.

In a moment, Yatsuhashi had put Ruby down and had drawn Wilt and Blush. He smashed into the Grimm, swinging the sword with one hand and shooting with the other. The Beowolfs leaped onto him, and for a moment he disappeared. Then the creatures were thrown back, in all directions. He sliced into them in mid-air. In a few seconds, there was nothing left of them but ashes.

He groaned and fell. Ruby ran to him. One of his legs was broken, streaming blood from where a shattered bone pierced the skin.

"And now you must complete the task alone," he said to her.

"No!" she said. "I – I can't! Not without you. You have always been the one who has given me strength. Without you ... I can't."

He stared at her. There was a sudden flash of awareness in his eyes. "Now I realise," he said, "what my Semblance is. It is to share my strength. With you."

He took her hands. He concentrated. Ruby could feel strength flowing into her muscles, her bones. It was as if the damage was being repaired, at least temporarily.

Yatsuhashi gave a gasp and let go of her hands. He fell back, exhausted.

"Thank you," Ruby said. "Thank you."

"Go," he said softly.

She began to run. Faster. Faster. Faster. And then she was a vortex, smashing through waves of Grimm. She could see Abbey now, standing atop of pile of writhing Grimm bodies. It – he – was like no Grimm she had ever seen. He looked ... almost human. Like a combination of human and Grimm. A mixture of the worst of each. The vortex faded away, and she came to stop in the middle of a horde of Grimm. A second later, she was swinging her scythe, taking down one creature after another, a whirlwind of movement. But for every one she killed, there were a dozen more to take its place. She swung it through a troop of Golem –

And then Crescent Rose broke.

"Goodbye, my friend," whispered Ruby.

Abbey lifted his hand. He fired a massive bolt of energy at Ruby, incinerating the Grimm around her.

The blaze ended.

And then Ruby stood up. She threw Neo's umbrella aside. "Useful," she said to herself.

Abbey stared, unbelieving.

Ruby stared straight back. "Come, my enemy," she said. "Let us embrace."

She leaped at him, locking her arms around him.

 _Mother, I call upon the power you gave me one final time._ _This is why you trusted me, this is what you hoped I would achieve. And now I know I will see you soon._

Yatsuhashi, drifting on the edge of consciousness, saw a pillar of white light, leaping into the sky.

 _My beloved ..._

Then he was falling into a pool of darkness.

* * *

 **The** _ **Qrow**_

The Qrow was crippled but still in the air. It was flying low over the island, Ren on the bridge, looking for survivors, hoping against hope ...

And then Ren saw a big man, covered in ash, leaning on his weapon, staring up at the approaching ship. A man who had lost what he held most dear. An orphan, now and forever.

* * *

 **Beacon**

Ren and Nora were standing on the top of Beacon Academy tower. Ren opened the wooden box he was holding. It contained rose petals. Some red, some white, and some black, some yellow. Nora took them into her hands and cast them into the air. They swirled up, up, up, away, on the wind.

"So this is the end of the story of Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang," she said. "Do you think it is a happy ending?"

Ren was quiet for a long moment. Then he said: "Yes. Yes, I think it is."

END AND AMEN


End file.
